


Cold Fire Rising: Sometimes, The Sky Calls

by Celeste38



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, CFR, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Loneliness, Michelangelo (TMNT)-centric, Protective Michelangelo (TMNT), Psychic Mikey, cold fire rising, mikey has power, psionic mikey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:20:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23520709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celeste38/pseuds/Celeste38
Summary: A long overdue gift to BrightLotusMoon, this is set after her Cold Fire Rising: Crossfire fic, and either during or after her Cold Fire Rising: Mind Games.Mikey decides to do a little stargazing.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BrightLotusMoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightLotusMoon/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Cold Fire Rising](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7184261) by [BrightLotusMoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightLotusMoon/pseuds/BrightLotusMoon). 



Mikey stood on the roof of the tallest building in the city, staring up at the sky and aching for the stars that the light pollution wouldn't permit him to see.

There was a simple solution to his predicament, of course, but he stubbornly dismissed it. Remaining tethered to his physical body, he kept his gaze upward and squinted instead. As if doing so would magically wipe away the veil that was keeping him from seeing what he wanted to see. 

What he needed to see right now. 

A bittersweet feeling of longing washed over him, and he strengthened his mental walls in response. He had to keep Gaia locked out. He didn't want her to sense the storm of thoughts that he had been burying for months now and connect the dots. He just wasn't mentally up for having to deal with the ripple effect that would inevitably cause with his family. 

They would worry and hover, and he didn't want that.

He knew they loved him, and he knew they took great strides to sympathize with his psychic and mental struggles, and he loved them even more for taking the time and effort to do so...but, try as they might, none of them could truly understand. Not even Gaia.

Only one person had even the slightest inkling of what Mikey was feeling these days- " _...come and go with me, it's more fun to share..._ "-and the thought of _him_ just made guilt swell up in his soul.

When the novelty of it all wore off, would the big guy eventually hate him for what he did? It hurt to think about.

Mikey shuddered, did his best to flick away the memory of his older counterpart, and squinted harder at the sky above him.

He missed the beauty of the planets, galaxies, and nebulas they had passed by those many months ago while traveling on the Ulixis with Honeycutt. He missed the strange new worlds they visited during that time, which often looked like something out of a 70s sci-fi painting. He missed the freedom he and his brothers had to walk amongst the aliens like they were one of them. Accepted as tourists, as people, and welcomed more often than not with open arms.

He remembered how he and his brothers had been referred to as turtles, even without identifying themselves as such to the aliens that called them that. It made him wonder...it make him hopeful....

Perhaps, they were more than four after all. 

And, oh, how wonderful would that be? To no longer be the only ones of their kind. To meet this hypothetical cousin species someday, and learn their history and their customs. The very idea brought a smile to his face. Yes, that certainly would be nice.

Only one thing in the universe would make his heart sing more...

" _...close to my soul...and yet so far away..._ "

Finding the M'Kari.

" _...I'm going to go back there, someday.._."

Taking in a deep breath, checking his mental walls again to make certain he wasn't being detected by his girlfriend, Mikey concentrated his power. 

Pushing it down. 

Letting the pressure build like steam. 

And then, with a gasp as his heartbeat fluttered, he let it go.

Outward and upward, blasting out in all directions, broadcasting on every psychic frequency he had ever learned with the exception of Gaia's, Mikey called out to the universe: " _ **People of the M'Kari, I am here! I really want to meet you! Please, please...don't leave me alone here...I...I want to come home!**_ "

The message flowed from him until his legs began to quiver. His heart fluttered in a more worrisome way, and he fell to his knees. Body trembling, he panted as he funneled his flickering energy back to the walls again. Making sure they didn't waver or crack, and letting out a sigh of relief as he confirmed they had indeed held strong. He slumped over onto his side.

Gaia couldn't find out what he was doing. She would tell his family, and they would all try to stop him.

They didn't understand.

They could never understand.

After a few minutes, Mikey caught his breath and his heartbeat steadied back to its normal rhythm. He sat up, reached over to his discarded bag, and pulled out the energy snacks and electrolyte drink he had brought with him. Munching away slowly as he let his gaze flicker back up to the starless sky above him.

Was anyone out there listening?

His phone buzzed next to him, and a quick glance revealed Raph's text asking where he had disappeared to this time. He shot back a semi-honest reply, that he had just gone out to get some air, and then he gathered up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. 

Looking back up at the sky, he smiled a sad smile, and then began his descent back down to the city below.

Wondering if he would ever get the reply he was waiting for.


	2. Chapter 2

Mike was minding his own business, helping April cook dinner for everyone in her tiny kitchen, when an unexpected blast of psychic energy made him stagger off-balance. He instinctively grabbed at the stove to steady himself, feeling disoriented as his ears began to ring so intensely it made him wince. He blinked, struggling to regain control and figure out what was happening to him, when his mind suddenly shifted like a projector slide to the image of the New York City night sky above him.

A youthful, sad, desperate voice cut through the static of the white noise. Mike's eyes widened a little as he realized who it belonged to...

" _Little Dude?_ "

"Hey, Mikey, are you okay?" Someone, Raph, tugged at his arm. "Shit, your hand!"

Mike was too caught up in what he was seeing and hearing to really register what was going on back home with his physical body. Tears that both were and weren't his own streamed down his face. The loud drum of a beating heart, becoming increasing rapid, thundered in his head over the desperate plea of his younger counterpart and the hum of the white noise.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it all abruptly stopped.

" _Wh-what happened?_ " Mike's breath hitched as a dreadful thought occurred to him, " _Oh, no! NO!_ " Running on panic-driven instinct, he immediately reached his mind out to seize the severed link and follow it back to its source. " _Please, please, please..._ "

Finally, he found Mikey.

Alive.

The boy was on his knees, exhausted. There was a determined look of concentration etched on his face, and Mike found himself shaking his head in disbelief when he felt Mikey sluggishly pull together his severely depleted energy to reinforce his already strong mental walls. " _What the hell is he thinking?!_ "

He remained vigil over his counterpart, frustrated by his inability to do anything else, and watched with lingering concern as the teenager sighed weakly and slumped over onto his side.

And then, in a blink, the rooftop was gone.

The frantic shuffle of his family around him jolted Mike back to April's cramped kitchen. He was sitting in a chair at the table now. The spaghetti sauce he had been stirring was splattered across the cheap linoleum floor in front of him. He assumed he must have knocked it off when he had tried to catch his balance earlier, noting that there was a squished meatball not far from the displaced pan.

With a grimace, he realized that the rest of the fallen meatball was plastered to the bottom of his right foot. Uncomfortably nestled between his toes.

Momentarily distracted by the wrongness of the sensation, he lifted up his leg and reached out to scrape off the remains. He stopped when he saw the angry welts on his left hand. It was only then that it finally registered in his mind just how much pain said hand was in.  
"Oh, Fuuuaaaa-that hurts!"

"It's okay, bro," Don reassured soothingly, hovering at his side as April raced back into the room with her first aid kit open in her hands. The two of them immediately got to work on examining and treating the burns. "We've got you."

"Was it a seizure, do you think?" Leo asked uncertainly. "It was hard to te-"

"No," Mike cut him off. His eyes stinging with unshed tears as he shook his head. They were all his this time as he looked up at his brothers huddled around him. "It wasn't a seizure...it was a message."

Everyone looked confused for a moment. Then understanding crept onto Raph's face. "It's Freckles, isn't it?"

Mike nodded his head. He slumped over, leaning on his free arm for support while April and Don began to bandage his injured hand silently. He recounted what he has just experienced to the others, and wasn't at all surprised to see how worried they all looked when he finished.

His composure broke as the aftershock of Little Mikey's heartache and loneliness swept over him again. He didn't understand why his younger counterpart, of all people, felt this way, but it was a feeling he himself was intimately familiar with prior to their fateful meeting. He also knew all too well how it felt to be so desperate for something that he would do almost anything to obtain it. And considering what very nearly happened to the other Mikey just a few moments ago...the thought disturbed him.

"Damn, kid....How do I reach you to make sure you're okay?"

* * *

  
Master Splinter had offered a plausible solution to the problem of how one does transdimensional travel without technology or the help of another powerful psychic, and Mike was more than happy to give a whirl.

Which is how he found himself standing in his bedroom staring at the brick wall before him with a piece of chalk held in his bandaged hand. He glanced down at it, rubbing it with anticipation, and smiled at the orange dust it left on his fingertips.

"You've packed everything I told you to, right?" Donatello eyed the bag slung over Mike's shoulder skeptically. "At least a week's worth, in case you're too drained to make the trip back?"

"Psh, of course! I packed two weeks worth, I'll have you know."

"Okay, good."

"You sure you don't want to come too? See what your little counterpart's been up to?"

"It's tempting..." Don sighed, and offered his brother a small smile. "But I think it's better to wait and see how this solo trip goes first with me monitoring everything from this side. Just, don't forget to ask Donnie to do a check up and take readings on you as soon as you get there. Okay? That'll be helpful for future trips if you want to try this again."

"Duh!" Of course he was going to want to do this again if it worked.

"Okay, well..." Don gave Mike a pat on the shoulder before taking a step back to give him space. "Good luck!"

Mike grinned, offered his brother a thumbs up, and turned his attention back to the wall in front of him. His posters and artwork had been taken down, moved to the other walls in the room. Now it was a blank slate calling his name, and when he closed his eyes and used his chalk to start drawing the symbols, he could hear the hum of his own energy in the air. 

He recited the familiar incantation they had used to travel to the Battle Nexus in the past, but firmly held a different destination in his mind. The sound of trickling water being lifted from the bowl on the floor at the base of the wall could barely be heard as the hum in his head grew louder. Then, he heard a pleasant chime.  
  
Opening his eyes again, he was thrilled to see the glowing doorway before him. And without hesitating, he briskly walked on through.

Raised weapons and surprised youthful faces greeted him when he emerged on the other side, but he just laughed.

"Hey, little dudes! Did you miss me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't shake this story. So, with BrightLotusMoon's a-okay, I'm running with this a little bit more.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, BrightLotusMoon! 
> 
> Hope the other Cold Fire Rising fans out there enjoy this too!


End file.
